The Book of Hibernation

A few minutes later, there was a commotion in the Temple of the Day.The guards were attacked, some were killed and injured, and the hidden corpses were stolen again... The cemetery and the shrine were brightly lit in the middle of the night, and people ran around to help the wounded and search the cemetery.

The effect of the masking agent is coming to an end, but still works a bit.Winter Thistle and Ryan quietly left the area where the temple was located, without attracting anyone's attention.

Originally, Ryan was unwilling to slip away. He was going to the temple to find the priest and the captain of the knight, and to explain what happened just now.Winter Ji persuaded him for a long time, mentioning that this might affect the reputation of the deceased, and that both of them would be detained for investigation. In this way, Ryan would fail his employer and delay the work at the dock, in case there were slave traders at the dock , he would have no chance to save the victim...

In the end, Dongji herself became more and more disbelieving, but Ryan was persuaded.He finally agreed not to report on the necromancer, and left quietly with Winter Thistle.

The brothers returned to the street and found the horse that Lane had hidden.When riding a horse, Ryan was driving in front, and Dongji sat behind and hugged his waist. Through the moonlight, Dongji could see his brother's serious side face frowning.

Winter Thistle sighed in his heart: When it comes to the pier, Ryan would rather leave the matter of the dead hunter behind. It seems that he really cares about the doubts over there.Now it is the topic of docking that persuades Ryan, but in the long run, if Ryan is too worried about it, it may not be a good thing.

At an intersection, Ryan dismounted.He helped Winter Thistle to sit on the front saddle, and handed him the reins.

Lane said, "I'm going to take a short cut from here to the docks. Can you ride back alone?"

"No problem, I'll just walk slowly." Winter Thistle is not good at equestrianism, but after all he has been traveling for a long time, as long as the horse is docile enough, it is fine to ride slowly.

Ryan nodded, pondered for a moment, and said, "Winter Thistle, I'm sorry. I was indeed too impulsive. Just now I thought about it carefully. If I act rashly, it will indeed put you in danger and delay many irrelevant things. Before My teacher said that when we charge on horseback, there is likely to be a young girl between the spear and the enemy. This means that even if we want to act for justice, we must not be too hotheaded to ignore others. That The maiden is neither an enemy nor a fellow knight; she will not fight for us, nor help the enemy. She just stands there, and may be accidentally injured by our attacks. We cannot blame her, we cannot think that she is in the way Our own 'justice'. We should always pay attention to our words and deeds to avoid this situation."

After listening to Ryan's words, Winter Thistle sighed, and reached out to touch his younger brother's hair. Now that he was sitting on the horse, Ryan was finally shorter than him, and the angle was just right.

Ryan looked up at him, smiling the same way he had when he was a child.There was some apologetic weakness in the smile, and a little shyness.

When Ryan was a child, he was sometimes mischievous, and was caught by his elder brother Dong Ji. Dong Ji didn't scold him as soon as he came up, but first checked whether he was injured... So little Ryan would show such a smile.

The two brothers told each other for a while, Ryan patted the horse, urged it to walk slowly, and then turned into another street with a wave of his hand.

Winter Thistle calculated the effective time of the masking agent, and it is estimated that it has already begun to lose effect.When Ryan arrives at the pier, the effect should be completely gone. This is just right, and other people won't find it strange that he suddenly appeared.

The horse that Winter Thistle is riding now belongs to Aldin's mansion, and it can know its way home without him deliberately manipulating it.

Winter Thistle relaxed, and his mind was full of little things: they didn't have dinner after tossing the whole night, he was fine, but he didn't know if Ryan would be out of spirit, and would there be robbers at the pier , just now Ryan's sword and the sword of the swearer slashed at each other, I don't know if the enchantment on it has been damaged...

Suddenly, the horse quickened its pace.Winter Thistle was so frightened that she quickly grabbed the rein, her legs tensed, and her attention was refocused on the present moment.

He was passing a street that he had never been before, and there were some people lurking in the branches of the alleys on the street, hiding in twos and threes in the dark and staring at him.

These people seemed to be refugees, or they might be petty thieves wandering around in the middle of the night. They must have noticed Winter Thistle walking alone on horseback, but they couldn't figure out the origin of this person, so they didn't dare to take any action for the time being.

The horses felt the pressure and quickened their pace out of vigilance.At this moment, there was continuous barking of dogs in one side of the alley, and the horses began to trot.

The horse wasn't frightened, it wasn't galloping, it was speeding away because it sensed hostility.If the winter thistle can give it the right instructions, it can of course slow down, or even stop.

For others, such a clever horse can protect a dull master, but for Winter Thistle, who is not a good rider, now he is so frightened that he is almost lying on his back, and he can't sit still, his legs are getting more and more tense. The less energy you have.

When the horse ran across a corner, Winter Ji's body tilted due to inertia.He couldn't adjust back to a stable posture, and he didn't know how to use his hands and feet.

When the horse maintains this speed, if there is another big bump or turn, he may fall off the horse.

Sure enough, this premonition soon came true.

After passing the intersection in front, the road began to go uphill, and there were two groups of small stone steps on the slope.This kind of road was not originally prepared for horses, but the slope of the stone steps is not too steep, so there is no problem for horses to climb up.

The horse galloped and jumped several steps directly.Winter Thistle couldn't control his posture, and finally his body swayed and fell off the horse.

Still calm, he let go of the rein at the last moment.In this case, if you instinctively hold on to the rein, it may be more dangerous.

His body sank, and although he did hit something, he didn't feel any pain.

Then, he heard a whistle, and the sound of running horses' hooves gradually slowed down.

When he opened his eyes, he realized that he hadn't fallen to the ground at all, but was caught and carried on his shoulders.

Aldin grabbed his waist with one hand and supported his leg with the other. With a little effort, he changed his posture from shoulder-carrying to horizontal-holding.

Winter Thistle subconsciously wanted to hold on to something to maintain balance, so she grabbed Aldin's collar, and when he lowered his head, he met the eyes of the tattooed boa constrictor.

The horse responded to the command from the whistle, turned back slowly, and stood quietly aside.

Aldin sighed: "This horse is obviously very good, even Kanai can control it."

Dong Ji was still in shock, she was stunned for a long time before she recovered.It was awkward to be held horizontally, so he asked Aldin in a low voice with embarrassment to let him down.

"You're not hurt?" Arden asked.

Winter Thistle shook her head.

"How can you be so embarrassed if you are not injured?"

"Because I'm stupid..."

"You're not stupid," Aldin squinted at him. "If you were stupid, how could you sneak out? If I didn't meet you here, I wouldn't even know you were out."

After speaking, Aldin finally put Winter Thistle down, and after seeing that he was standing still, he gradually loosened his hands from his waist.

Winter Thistle glanced at Aldin nervously, but said nothing.

Aldin smiled and said, "Do you want to ask me why I am here? Why did I find you?"

Of course Dong Ji wanted to ask, but he felt that he was in the wrong, so he didn't have the confidence to ask his employer such things.

Aldin said: "There is no positioning spell on the horse. In fact, it was not I who found you, but the dew led you to find me."

It appears that "Dew" is the horse's name.

"Why is it looking for you?" Winter Thistle asked in a low voice.

Aldin pointed to behind Winter Thistle, several turns and stone steps led by horses.Winter Thistle doesn't recognize this area, but Aldin certainly does: "If you don't make a turn from there, go straight, and after another intersection, you will be on the street near my house. Dew is very spiritual. It originally wanted to take you home, but it turned out Walking and walking... Maybe it sensed that I was nearby, so it took you to find me instead," he said as he walked over, smoothing his dewy mane, "This big guy is really , not like a horse, but like a puppy."

After finishing speaking, Aldin turned back and asked Winter Thistle, "Did Ryan bring the dew out?"

Winter Thistle immediately said, "It's not him, it's me."

Aldin said: "You? You can't even ride such a well-behaved horse. How could you take the initiative to go to the stables to pick horses? And you have a high vision. You don't pick the ones that are located outside, but go in and pick the dew? It's okay, don't defend you. Brother, you don't look like an elder brother, you look like a mother with a three-year-old child."

Winter Thistle was speechless.He just stood there in a daze, with his head bowed and his hands clasped together.

Aldin said: "Since I bumped into you, why don't you be honest? Tell me, what did you do in the middle of the night?"

"I'm really sorry..." Winter Ji lowered her head.

Aldin smiled lightly: "You really are, why can't you talk to me well... Am I that scary?"

He came over and put his arms around Winter Thistle's shoulders: "Why don't you do this. You must also be curious about what I'm doing and why I'm wandering around this area in the middle of the night. I can tell you. After I tell you, you have to Tell me what you did just now. How about it?"

Dongji said in her heart: Actually, you don’t need to tell me, I’m not curious, I promise not to ask...

Aldin smiled and walked forward with his arms around him, and he could only follow silently.

Ardin led him up the ramp, through an intersection, and around the turn along the stairway.The scattered houses on both sides came to an end. Although there was a dead end in front of him, the vision suddenly opened up.

Here is a small platform with a high terrain. At the end of the brick floor is a high cliff, and a low wall is added on the edge.

Standing on the edge and looking down, the lower part of the city is below.If you look up, you can see the dark sea in the distance.

There is an area near the coast that is lit up even at this late night.Aldin told Winter Thistle that it was the main pier of Harbor City and the largest port in Sandonia.

There are not only piers, docks and warehouses in that area, but also many taverns and post stations that are busy day and night. Every day, when the main city falls asleep, the port is still brightly lit.

A large number of continuous warm colors are oil-burning hanging lamps, and a few cold and bright light sources are magic lighting.They complement the stars of the night sky until dawn the next morning.

"I've always liked the scenery here," Aldin said. "If I'm free at night, I'll come here to stand for a while and enjoy the breeze. It's quite interesting to think about what happened here before and now."

"What happened here before?" Winter Thistle asked.

Aldin took two steps to the side and pointed to a crenel on the low wall: "Look at this. I have fallen from here before."

Winter Thistle looked at him in surprise.The terrain here is very high, and falling down is no joke.

Aldin said: "At that time, I hadn't joined the Ten Sails Street Chamber of Commerce. I was a mercenary. I was in a mercenary group, but the boss of the mercenary group died, and everyone became a mess. Everyone went to find a way out. I I came to Harbor City for the first time, and I received a job with a good salary. But...the money is rich, and of course there are many dangers. I helped the boss get back a stolen valuables, and I was chased here. Lu Ke ran, they had a lot of people, and they besieged me. In the end, there was nothing I could do, so I jumped from here. It was also my luck that I didn't fall faint. Before they took a detour and chased me down, I ran away with all my breath Afterwards, the things returned to the boss in good condition, and I spent half my life with them."

Dong Ji frowned and thought for a while: "Then... the money you earned at that time, was it enough for medical treatment?"

Aldin popped out, "Is this your first concern? You're so cute."

Winter Ji really didn't understand: "If other people hear about this, what do they care about?"

Aldin said: "I only told three people personally about this matter. One is you, one is Kanai, and the other is Ivy. Do you remember who is Ivy? That's what I mentioned last time The old elf, a member of the Chamber of Commerce, died a few years ago and is buried in the cemetery beyond the temple."

Winter Thistle said, "I remember him."

Aldin continued: "Qingteng is one of my guides. With his introduction and support, I gradually gained a foothold in the Chamber of Commerce. Back then, he asked me about the specific process of this battle, and I told him about it. The focus of his concern is of course my employer, my background, the specific process of my fighting with those people, etc. Later, when Kanai came back to me, I told Kanai about it again."

When he was talking up to this point, Dong Ji didn't make a sound and didn't interrupt him, but a puzzled expression gradually appeared on his face.

Aldin understood his doubts, so he took the initiative to explain: "Oh, Kanai was not with me at the time, and we had been separated for several years. When he was a mercenary with me, he was spotted by a very powerful mage and said He is qualified, so he took him to the academy to study. Later, I was already a member of the chamber of commerce, so he came to Harbor City to reunite with me."

Winter Thistle nodded knowingly.He couldn't help but think of his younger brother Ryan. When the tour period is over, Ryan will have to report back to the temple where he was trained, complete the ceremony, receive the metal holy emblem and official saber, and enter the temple knight formation...

At that time, Ryan will also be separated from himself, and he does not know how long it will be separated.

But Winter Thistle also understands that Ryan is human after all, and he is already an adult at the age of nineteen or twenty.It will be a matter of time before he is separated from his family.

Winter Thistle sighed: "Lord Kanai has been separated from you for many years, and when we reunited, he saw you covered in injuries. He must have been very worried at that time..."

"Isn't it," Aldin said, "I told him the story of my injury. But he's not like you, he didn't ask me how much money I made, whether I had enough money to see a doctor, he asked me 'You Do you remember who they are on the other side, do you know their names'."

"He... wants revenge on them?" Dong Ji asked.

"Yes. But I didn't tell him who those people were. Back then, they and I were employed by others, and each of us was our own master. It would be too petty to send the brother of the mage to take revenge afterwards... Not presentable."

Having said that, in fact, after so many years, none of those people were left.Some people chose the wrong path and became enemies with the Chamber of Commerce, and their families were ruined in the end. Some people were found to have betrayed their employers, and their fate can be imagined.

Aldine did not say all that followed, nor could he be counted as deceiving the half-elf.After all, the fate of those people all happened for a reason, not out of nothing, and it can't be regarded as special revenge.

Dong Ji thought for a while, then asked in a low voice: "You have been in danger in this place, and now you are standing here again, don't you feel awkward?"

Aldin said: "No. Think about it, I was just a boy back then, and now I am one of the managers of the Ten Sail Street Chamber of Commerce. I stand here, and behind me is the street I am familiar with. The road below can pass through To my house, there is my business at the pier in the distance, and my fleet in the sea... Ha, this feeling is indescribable."

As he said that, he looked at the half-elf beside him: "As long as you stay and follow me seriously, one day in the future, you will also understand how I feel now. Every time I have a little trouble, big or small, I will stand Here, looking at the night view of the harbor will make you feel much better."

Winter Thistle raised her head, looking at the lights and the wide sea in the distance.

Aldin gazed at the night scene and didn't speak for a long time, and Winter Thistle finally had a chance to think silently.

After a while, Winter Thistle asked softly, "Lord Aldin, are you worrying about the dead hunter?"

"Yes. You should know how crazy that kind of person is. It is very dangerous to let him wander around Harbor City. We still have to find a way to fish him out and deal with it."

Winter Thistle looked away, and bit her lower lip.Aldin noticed the slight change in his expression and didn't ask, but just quietly waited for him to take the initiative to answer.

In the end, Dong Ji said: "I'm really sorry. Something happened too suddenly. I only thought about how to deal with it, but I didn't discuss it with you in time."

He was still a little afraid that Aldin would be unhappy, so he hurriedly said the final conclusion: "However, you don't need to worry about it anymore. The dead hunter and necromancer have left and left Harbor City."

Aldin didn't ask him what was going on right away, but asked him, "Are you cold standing here?"

Winter Thistle froze for a moment.Aldin said softly to him: "It's late at night, if you feel cold, let's go home and talk about it."

"It's not cold, the night breeze is very comfortable."

"Then talk here for a while. What happened before, tell me?"

Winter Thistle took a peek at Aldin and said softly, "Okay."